While I am not a Berkeleyite, there is seldom a month goes by that, at least in my social circles, I don’t hear a Berkeleyite say the famous motto of their alma mater — which can generally be translated as “Keep the end in view”.

The motto of my own alma mater, Saltus, is Labor omnia vincit, which may be generally translated as “Work conquers all”. However, I don’t think I have heard any Saltus alumni ever utter this phrase — although perhaps my social circles simply don’t include many such alumni.

I have always been fascinated by such mottos of various institutions or even countries. And growing up in Bermuda, of course, the local mottos were the subject of my early interest. Throughout my life I have meditated on these various mottos, and they have been a key source of inspiration for me, including in my political thinking.

In my previous opinion, I noted that one of the key challenges for democratic forces today is the need to revive a genuine democratic imaginary that a better world is possible. To this end, I feel respice finem is key.

The concept is generally a good one: if one lacks a clear end goal, then one lacks conscious intention in one’s actions. Rather than working towards something, however potentially unattainable, one is limited to simply reacting blindly. The advice is good for students approaching education or tasks such as homework, and is equally solid advice for most of us when setting out on a task — be it stocking shelves, selling a commodity, cooking a meal or pretty much anything else. At the same time, the intention is not to be overly prescriptive — the end goal should be an ideal, and one from which we can work backwards to identify the steps to help realise the goal.

Additionally, my view is that the means determine the ends, so one should seek to realise the end goal in a way that is consistent with the end goal itself. For example, if one’s goal is to expand one’s skills and mind through education, then taking short cuts through cheating may result in an absolute end of good grades and certification, but is counterproductive to skills and personal development.

Importantly, at least when it comes to applying this lesson to political goals — and explicitly as regards my purpose here, that of democracy — one must also caution against being trapped in the present in designing the future. To limit the vision of a democratic imaginary to only a mildly better status quo is to handicap oneself from the outset. It is a recipe for either failing to inspire the people, or one that will lead to increasing disillusionment once realised. We see this readily today in those who have not so much abandoned the idea of change but have reduced the meaning of change to fit only what the state and capital will allow — that is, to forfeit a genuine imaginary of a better world.

I feel obligated here to offer my own vision of what a genuine democratic imaginary could be, if only to get the ball rolling for discussion purposes.

So here goes ...

The democratic goal should be about realising our potential to be full human beings, and that realising one’s full human potential is possible only through the social — as opposed to “liberation” from the social. I do not think this can be achieved in any system that requires the control by some of the use and development of the potential of others. I also do not think this can be achieved through traditional concepts of competition, which frustrates humanity’s potential and capacity for liberation through the social.

Following from this, the principle of the potential for each of us to realise our full human potential cannot be then achieved in the context of hierarchical structures that limit or inhibit equitable access to equal opportunities for influence or personal fulfilment. Similarly, in line with this vision, the democratic imaginary must be one that is inherently antiracist, antisexist and anti-imperialist — in short, opposed to any -ism that inhibits the realisation of anyone’s full potential across the full dimension of human experience. This must also involve transcending geopolitical barriers, inclusive of a transfer of resources, based on the principle of solidarity.

It is this guiding principle of human liberation and full realisation of human potential that informs not only my personal life, but also my approach and thinking on aspects of the democratic struggle itself — including the organisations of the working class, how they should be organised, and what strategies and tactics they should employ — as well as wider perspectives on matters such as the economy, the organisation of work, concepts of stewardship and generational perspectives, as well as such matters as race relations, sexuality and education. The essence of the democratic struggle is fundamentally the struggle for human freedom.

It is only through this principle of hope for a better world, based on a clear vision of a democratic imaginary, that it is possible to truly organise the struggle to realise human liberation overall.

By contemplating the essence of this democratic imaginary, one is able to contrast “what could be” with “what is” and in doing so critique those aspects of “what is” in terms of how they inhibit the full realisation of human potential, both individually and socially. It can, and should, inform the path from “what is” to “what might be” — and, bearing in mind my belief that means determine ends, the strategy and tactics used to realise that ideal must similarly be consistent with the ideal end goal. In this sense, the idea of “the ends justify the means” has to be understood as the means being in line with the ends — not that one can employ means that are antithetical to the ends.

Employing means contrary to the end goal with the hope of realising said end goal is to fool oneself — it is to realise a different end altogether. If the end goal is that of disposing of hierarchical structures, then the means to realise that goal cannot be based on a hierarchical interpretation of a vanguard party. Rather, the means must involve a commitment to breaking down distinctions of managers and workers, politicians and citizens, and leaders and the led. If the end goal is to be antiracist, antisexist and anti-imperialist, the means to realise that goal must also be antiracist, antisexist and anti-imperialist.

I will end simply with a quote from Ernst Bloch’s The Principle of Hope, on the importance of keeping the end in view:

“If the will content of the goal is missing, then even the good probable is left undone; if the goal remains, however, then even the improbable can be done, or at least made probable for later.”

Respice finem.

• Jonathan Starling is a socialist writer with an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from Heriot-Watt University